


Winter Pansies

by tarie_arco



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Family Bonding, Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), I'm new here, Magic, Minecraft, Other, Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Royalty, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:47:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29126736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarie_arco/pseuds/tarie_arco
Summary: Only a few days after settling into the Antarctic Palace, Tommy is unsure of what to expect when his father, the Emperor, requests an audience with him. As if his new status as a Prince wasn't enough of a life-altering development.
Relationships: TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit & Technoblade, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbut Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 20
Kudos: 293





	1. Chapter 1

_Thump!_

Tommy startled awake, nearly slipping off the bed with his sea of quilts and pillows. He blearily glared in the general direction of sudden noise, blinking rapidly to dispel the blurriness. Clad in formal garments, his advisor, Sam, stood in the doorway, giving the boy a small wave.

"What the hell was that for?" Tommy groaned, dragging a hand down his face "Can't you jus' knock like a normal person?"

"I did, actually. You just didn't hear." Sam hummed, striding into the room to stand near the desk. Sensing that the advisor had something to say, Tommy begrudgingly sat up in his head, peering at the man through a mop of blonde hair. He wasn't used to living in proximity to so many people, not after being left to his own devices for years. He and Tubbo shared a room from time to time, sure, but that was different from waking up to near strangers. Sam looked over the desk, luminous green eyes narrowing in on the bronze compass. The outside was rusting, flecks of light green trailing down the sides like ivy.

"You could get a new one, you know."

"Stop poking through my stuff, idiot, and just tell me what you want."

Sam finally shifted his piercing gaze away from the trinket and focused it on Tommy. "His Majesty wants to see you in his office, right now, if possible. I'm here to escort you."

Tommy bristled, swinging his legs over the side of his bed. The mention of his dad ( _Was he even allowed to call him that?_ ) certainly unsettled the boy. He had no active qualms with the Emperor, especially since the pair had met so recently. If anything, Phil was far nicer than Tommy had ever anticipated, granting him a title and allowing him into his home. But his own lingering doubts coupled with the sudden upheaval of his life made it difficult to _not_ be wary of his 'family.'

"Right now?

"Right now, yes. I take you might need to change, or we could go as you are; I doubt he'd mind." Though the tone of his voice was reassuring, the young boy couldn't dispel the newfound anxiety clawing at his stomach. He didn't know if ~~his brothers~~ Phil's other sons dressed up for an 'audience.' What a strange fucking word for a meeting.

He was wholly unfamiliar with a majority of court etiquette, despite Sam's best attempts to teach him. He recalled their long days spent cooped up in the library as the bright-eyed man rambled on about posture and bowing and appearances while Tommy counted the number of leaves carved into the ceiling. So far, 347. The thought soured his already dismal morning as the boy rummaged through the chest at the foot of his bed.

Tommy flung out an inconspicuous pair of brown pants and a shirt onto the bed, before plunging his hands back into the mess of fabrics, searching for his bandana. It was the only consistent thing he wore. The rest of the clothing were just gifts upon his arrival, and he hated thinking anything in this room really belonged to him, save the compass and a few objects stashed underneath his mattress. A kid like him didn't own velvet or fur, and he stubbornly refused to wear it even when the hallways felt like ice.

"Looking for this, your highness?" He startled, nearly forgetting the other man's presence in his hurry. His eyes glanced back up to Sam, who held out the ratty red fabric with a teasing grin. He sprung up and took it.

"I'll stab you if you call me that again. I swear, this time I'll do it." He warned, "With a knife or some shit." He grabbed the clothes and disappeared behind an elegant partition situated near his bed.

"I'm sure you would, _Tommy_."

"Are you fucking pa-patronizing me, Sam?" He grinned, eager to test out the new word he learned as he fumbled with the knot of the bandana around his neck.

"Of course not. But if you're done back there, we should get going."

The boy groaned "Fine, fine. I'm done anyhow." Tommy strode out, the sleeves bunching up awkwardly at his elbows. Sam tutted under his breath and waved him over.

With careful hands, the advisor adjusted the shirt, tugging the too-clean and stiff cotton to drape comfortably over the boy's gangly arms. Tommy, meanwhile, stiffened under the touch. He was a big man. He could fix his own clothes and shit, without the help of some stuffy court person, and an insult rested at the tip of his tongue in defense. But the hand was gentle, so unlike the other adults he had met out on the streets, and his spirit died down a bit. Sam patted the smoothed out fabric with a satisfied hum, before resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Now, reckon we not keep your dad waiting any longer?"

Tommy sucked in a breath, fortifying his nerves.

"'Course not. Lead the way."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The palace is a... chilly place, to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Help this is meant to be a short story and now I'm referencing things from my actual main story. What is happening to me. Also, wrote this in the car, so mind the typos!

He couldn't help but notice that the palace was quite cold.

Actually, that was a understatement. The palace was always _freezing._

Tommy felt his cheeks flush as soon as he pushed past the door, the warmth from his room spilling into the chilly hallways. He gasped from the bite of it on his face, but Sam was already making his way down the hall, seemingly unfazed. With a grumbling sound, he shut the door and hurried to catch up.

Now, it _was_ really cold, despite his advisor's absence of a response. While Tommy was no stranger to uncomfortable winters, having weathered many out in the streets of the city, the temperature maintained in the palace had rightfully shocked him when he first arrived. He could recall himself shivering in the middle of the entrance hall just a week ago, his ratty coat quickly being swapped out with a cape with the help of a merciful maid. However, the strangeness of the place didn't only extend to the temperature; The entire palace resembled that of an icy landscape.

Tommy couldn't help but gaze in muted awe as they passed under rows of crystal chandeliers, each one casting a smattering of light across light-blue walls. Curtains of different whites and blues fluttered around the windows, and they shut off the warm spring air from entering inside. Even the hallways were lined with rows of pristine white pots of flowers, each one glistening under a sheen of ice. Though it was warm outside, none of them had yet to thaw, their glimmer just as bright as it had been since the day he arrived. He wasn't much of a fan of flowers, but he knew Tubbo would adore the place. His friend always wanted a garden.

...

_ "Tommy, Tommy look!" Tubbo's squealing laughter pierced through the air as he ran down the hill, his fuzzy horns disappearing over the gentle slope.  _

_"Don't burst my eardrums, mate! What is it?"_

_"Just hurry up!" Tommy followed with a sigh, picking his way down the hill, albeit at a much slower pace. Winter was ending, but the ground remained slick with ice._ _His friend was lying on his stomach, ignoring the freezing ground as he stared intently at something on the ground. When Tommy got close enough, he was tugged down with a yelp and fell_ _on his butt,_ _sputtering a bit in shock. Before he could berate his very mean and very horrible friend for getting his only good pair of pants wet ~~\--~~ they only had so many ~~\--~~ Tubbo had hushed him. He was cradling something in his hands. _

_Curious, Tommy peeked his head over his shoulder._ _Tubbo was gently holding the heads of a small clump of dingy flowers._ _His hands, not yet scarred from tinkering in the workshop, caressed the rich purple and yellow petals_

_"Y'know what these are?" Tubbo began, scooting over to allow the younger of the two to get a closer work. " _Winter Pansies!_ They're the first flowers of spring; Niki says if I found any we can grow 'em in her side yard!" _

_He turned to Tommy with pleading eyes. "Can you...?"_

_Tommy didn't care much for dainty, pretty things; He wanted to go keep exploring the nearby riverbed! But when his best friend gave him_ that _look, it was hard to disagree, He pulled off his gloves as the cold soon turned the tips of his finger pink. Ignoring it, the boy began digging his hands down near the plant. The frozen ground immediately melted like magic, turning to squishy mud around his fingers as he tugged around the roots. With a final pull, it dislodged, and he held out the clump of flowers and roots out to his friend._

_"Take your dumb plant."_

_The yell of delight that followed made him forget about the cold and mud clinging to his fingers._

...

_Tubbo._ He felt his heart clench painfully in his chest. Their goodbyes were practically nonexistent, with Tubbo in the workshop with Schlatt as Tommy was whisked away in a mere matter of minutes. Honestly, the guards didn't even let him leave a note! Did he know Tommy was here? That his best friend turned out to be some long-lost prince, forgotten for reasons that no one seemed to know? His vision blurred slightly and he rubbed them furiously.

No one wanted a blotchy face in front of an Emperor.

Sam cleared his throat, loud in the airy hallways. "Tommy?" The softness of Sam's tone pulled him from his thoughts, and the young prince looked up. If Sam had saw the threat of tears, he certainly didn't comment on it. "The study is just down this hall." 

"I'm coming, just- can't a guy admire the dead, icy flowers for once?" He lamented loudly as Sam let out a little laugh.

_..._

The Antarctic Empire was the strongest kingdom to ever inhabit their world, stretching all the way from the snowy plains of it's namesake down to the more hospitable taigas. It's success was unfounded; No man was ever meant to thrive there, let alone an Empire. The ground was too stiff and the winters crippled its inhabitants for months at a time. Its Emperor, Phil, was born the son of Kings who were the sons of Gods. Though gifted this icy land to rule, his family had forsaken the people and stayed locked up behind castle walls, alcohol and sorrow wasting away the godly sheen to their skin and hair. Unlike his predecessors, however, Phil refused to wallow in grief over his pitiful inheritance.

While his father sat across the hall drinking, the prince studied the land and its history. 

Soon after his father's death, Phil had abandoned the castle and moved himself to live among his people, figuring proximity could heal the wounds left by his family. At first, The townsfolk had believed him to be mocking them and shunned the young King's offers to help. However, Phil was a patient man. They had waited generations for a proper king. Instead, lived in a small cottage for some time and devoted his efforts to working among them, his golden head alit among dozens of darks. He wanted to see the remarkable resilience that ran rampant in the inhabitants here up close; With no leader to guide them, who else could they rely on but themselves?

Phil took to their fields, and though clumsy with a hoe, soon learned alongside their farmers. He raided the old castle's library, and brought books to their children, eager to teach them what he knew. He even trained the young men in what he knew about swordsmanship, personally overseeing the progress of many hopefuls, young and old. One of his students, a farmer, had allowed the King to use his old land as a training grounds. Soon, the sounds of interlocking blades and jovial cheers filled the air, and life began returning to the community.

Wherever the people were, you would find their king, and their love for him grew. 

More and more people began to hear the tales of a benevolent King who, despite his divine heritage, actually _lived_ alongside his people. It was unheard of in a land of Gods and mortals, so they flocked to the North to escape the unkind hand of their own rulers. Phil took it all in stride, welcoming them graciously. Soon, the villages turned into towns, and those towns turned into small cities. Progress was sweeping through the barren landscape as new settlers brought their own knowledge on agriculture and fighting that enriched the culture to become an intersection of cultures.

The frozen fields soon were decorated with smatterings of green, but the kingdom's strength lay in their army, led by the young king himself.

In the next 10 years, the kingdom faced opposition on all ends, forcing the gentle man to raise his people to battle. It was said that Phil had confronted armies tenfold the size of his own, and led the charges that eventually won an empire. The Gods, seeing his success, even granted the man divine blessings, with the most notable being actual _wings._

...

At least, that's what Tommy knew, which explained the rolling anxiety in his stomach as they finally arrived. The man behind this door was a literal _legend,_ and a descendant of Gods as well. Tommy was just... Tommy. His son, yes, but brilliance wasn't genetic. Except, maybe, in the cases of the Technoblade ~~the lumbering prick~~ and Wilbur ~~does he ever shut up?~~

Unlike his new half-brothers, Phil was apparently away on business when Tommy arrived, but he was hastily making his way back to meet his new son. It wasn't the others fault, of course. The manner of Tommy's 'discovery' was rather abrupt and out of the anyone's control: Even royalty. He did feel a bit glad that the man wanted to see him in the first place, though.

"You reckon I have to knock or something?" Tommy asked, glaring at the ornate door in front of him. He really didn't want to.

"I don't see why not," Sam teased. "I've heard he's eager to meet his son."

"I'm one of three."

"He's still your father, Tommy."

He crossed his arms tightly. "I've never had a dad before."

"Well," Sensing his hesitance, Sam raised a gloved hand to the door and knocked, the sound echoing in the halls. "Maybe now is a good time to start."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the sweet comments last chapter!!!! It makes me so happy. 
> 
> Also, the pacing'll be a little weird for now as I figure out what I'm doing with this story. In the meantime though, thanks for reading!
> 
> Edit: Typos fixed!

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter's short, mainly because I've never written much in AO3 before, but I hope y'all liked it regardless!! I'm a sucker for royalty anything, so this whole thing is just for fun.


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